It’s 2019, Let’s Stop Using 'OCD' As A Personality Trait

Can we please stop using the term OCD to describe being neat, keeping your house clean, or being on a regulated schedule?

For anyone who doesn't know, OCD stands for "Obsessive Compulsive Disorder." It's a stress-related disorder that used to be classified under the umbrella of anxiety disorders, but is now in its own category.

Let's break down what OCD REALLY is.

Obsessions, or "repeated thoughts, urges, or mental images," turn into anxiety, which leads you to compulsions, which leads you to act on those compulsions to experience some sense of temporary relief.

Here's a personal example of a simple act: locking my apartments doors. I'm afraid someone will break in while I'm gone, so I lock the door when I leave. However, I think that maybe I didn't lock it, even though I know I did. So I will get anxious, get out of my car and recheck my door even though I already did so three times before leaving.

Along with this, I also have to make sure the stove is off, anywhere between five to 10 times. I have to make sure the toilet isn't running every time after I flush. I have to make sure my cats aren't locked in the bathroom, even though I can see them in the living room.

I have to constantly check where my laptop and keys are.

I recheck my alarm four times at night.

I have to check at least three times that my flat iron is unplugged, even though I rarely straighten my hair.

Oh, and I have a certain amount of times I have to go to the bathroom before I can fall asleep.

OCD isn't just washing your hands an excessive amount of times (though it can be).

It isn't just keeping everything spotless, though it can be.

It's always checking and re-checking things. It's doing things a certain way that may not make sense to others.

It's always being tired and irritated. It's always trying to decide what is rational and what is not.

It's not cool to say you have OCD. You wouldn't say "Oh, Geez I've got tuberculosis!" when you have a light cough, would you? That's just silly.

OCD can be a debilitating condition. In order for those with OCD to get better, they may be prescribed a number of different types of therapy on top of taking medication.

So once again, just because you wipe your counters every night or have an agenda, does not make you OCD.